I find their food (Southern) to be inconsistent, but I once had a really good cheddary mac & cheese here:

Skylark2149 S. Halsted St

In any case, if you're in the neighborhood, certainly worth a look-see if only for the great Bohemian bar and the artsy-bohemian atmosphere.

"The fork with two prongs is in use in northern Europe. In England, they’re armed with a steel trident, a fork with three prongs. In France we have a fork with four prongs; it’s the height of civilization." Eugene Briffault (1846)

I had a side of Mac and Cheese at :Joe's Stone Crab60 E. GrandChicago, IL

This is one of the finest Mac and Cheese ever. The waitress told us it was made with Fontina, white American and smoked Gouda. It was made with a spiral noodle cooked al dente, and not a pool of grease anywhere. I believe it had some panko bread crumbs on top, it was really well put together, my friend and I couldn't stop eating it. If you are a lover of goopy cheese, this is not for you, but if you like a light, non oily, and flavorful Mac and Cheese, do your self a favor and get a side. I am not a big fan of Fat Willy's, way to garlicky for me, I don't like when one flavor overpowers the entire dish.

I really never cared for boxed mac and cheese as a kid or as an adult.

When I had to host a vegetarian for dinner on Saturday night, I was inspired by last week's Bitten blog to make Martha Stewart's "crack and cheese." I followed it to a T except I did not make the breadcrumbs. (I don't find that breadcrumbs add anything to baked casserole type dishes). This was so good. The recipe makes an obscene amount. I can't wait to dive into some leftovers tonight.

I really wanted to try the Mac & Cheese at Vella Cafe yesterday, when I spied it on the specials menu board. But right below it was the Brisket Panini...and that won out. (Oh my goodness, that is one amazing sandwich! I now understand why Time Out lamented its disappearance from the menu this fall.)

Has anyone tried the Mac & Cheese at Vella, yet? I may just have to go back there on Friday for lunch.

FYI, since I started this thread, I have the following as my favorites - listed in a general sense of order from "most favorite" on down to "still delicious but most favorite."

2) Chalkboard - I had this at least 6 months ago and wish I had written about it then. This kitchen knows how to make you feel perfectly fine about paying too much for "merely mac & cheese."

3) Smoke Daddy - We used to get the sweet potato fries all the time, but once I tried the mac & cheese it blew the other sides away. This is cheesy and creamy, a perfect complement to the BBQ fare, although the texture is not always consistent.

4) Fat Willy's - This one is tangy, and it's not that pretty, but it tastes fabulous even reheated. It kind of overpowers the BBQ, so I just have leftovers for lunch the next day, with crunchy apple slices, and that is a delicious combination.

5) Silver Cloud - I didn't think it was that awesome until I realized that I always order it as an "extra" side. More cheese on top than inside, but still yummy.

I'm still on the quest, and I've tried a few others that have been suggested, but tonight I'm going to make that recipe from MarthaStewart.com. Thanks for the suggestion and the link!

Chalkboard - I had this at least 6 months ago and wish I had written about it then. This kitchen knows how to make you feel perfectly fine about paying too much for "merely mac & cheese."

Funny that you mention Chalkboard's mac&chs - we (meaning three dear friends and I) went there for my birthday on Saturday, and hugely loved everything we ate, ecept for two things:

1) a yogurt sauce flavored with lavender. Way, WAY too much lavender. Ugh.

2) the mac&chs, which I believe incorporates smoked gouda - a very good cheese, when it's not processed. Now, I understand that to make a creamy sauce for a mac&chs, a processed cheese is de rigeur, but processed smoked gouda is just too sweet, and has a really nasty mouthfeel, at least to me. One of my friends agreed, but kept eating it anyway, saying that he had the culinary equivalent of gaper's block with it.

I'll post on the rest of the dinner soon, as everything else was top-drawer, but those two items were pretty nasty, IMO.

Last edited by sundevilpeg on February 4th, 2009, 7:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Santander wrote:I grew up on Kraft - perfectly good stuff. You can make it with cream instead of milk if you're on a rich-kick.

My favorite add-ins for Kraft - a lot of Tabasco stirred in, and a dusting of chili powder and panko on top for crunch.

Oh, what a load you've lifted from my shoulders! I love macaroni and cheese, but every time I've tried to make it at home from a recipe, the kids wouldn't go near it and I could hardly blame them. Grrrr...

Maybe the best I can do is personalize Kraft macaroni and cheese with my own add-ins. That's the way I'm going, anyway, until someone posts or links to the truly foolproof recipe.

Katie, no need to feel bad. Personally, I like to add Velveeta to my homemade mac and, so if anyone deserves to be banned from LTH, it's me.

I'm off wheat products for the time being, but before that I had a wonderful mac & cheese at Uncommon Ground. It was by far the richest, creamiest mac I have ever had, with a butterkase base and a hint of stronger cheeses for distinction. Being from UC, it was, of course, about $12 for a small bowl, but still somehow worth it.

As a mattra-fact, Pie Face, you are beginning to look almost human. - Barbara Bennett